Wine, Oatmeal and Other Variables

I went in for my annual check up recently. Everything looked good, except my doctor was a little concerned that my cholesterol level had risen. “I know you exercise like a demon,” he said, “But have you thought about having a glass of wine with dinner each evening?”

There are only a few variables that impact your cholesterol levels, and diet, exercise, hereditary issues and some specific “good” foods just about cover it. As a marathon competitor, exercise was never a problem, and I usually eat very healthy. Now I eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and have a glass of wine with dinner.

When you look at your business, what are the variables that have the greatest impact? If you can isolate those variables and then focus your efforts on high performance in those areas, you will be able to see dramatic improvements in your business.

Is your business driven by challenges such as new accounts, sales to existing accounts, manufacturing cost reduction, product design or sales price? If so, then what can you change, that if done successfully, will show an immediate improvement on your bottom line?

I encourage business professionals to look at their businesses this way if they want to accelerate the growth of their company. But you can take this further.

Separate your company into its basic components. For instance, sales, manufacturing, service, back office, etc. (you get the idea). Now look at each area and determine what your critical variables are. Each month go through this exercise and then implement changes that will allow you to maximize your efforts in this particular part of your business.

In a matter of months you will have reshaped your business, and put yourself on the fast track. Then, maybe you’ll sit back and have a glass of wine with dinner — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.